General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has completed payload integration for NASA’s TSIS-2 mission. The milestone involved integrating a dual-instrument solar sensor package onto a dedicated GA-150 satellite, extending a decades-long, critical record of solar irradiance data.
The work was performed at GA-EMS’s facility in Centennial, Colorado. After successful performance checkouts and instrument alignment, the program received a NASA Authority to Operate, confirming operational readiness. A full spacecraft test is planned to verify end-to-end communications ahead of operations.
Unlike its ISS-based predecessor, TSIS-2 will operate independently on a GA-150 satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. This dedicated platform is designed to provide uninterrupted, high-quality measurements to study the sun’s influence on Earth’s atmosphere and climate.
“Integrating the TSIS-2 payload onto the GA-150 is a significant milestone for our team,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “This dedicated platform will help ensure NASA receives the high-quality data this mission is designed to deliver.”
The payload’s two instruments, the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) and Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM), were developed by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). They are tasked with continuing the most accurate and stable measurements of the sun’s energy output.
“TSIS-2 will allow our team at LASP to continue improving this essential, continuous solar data record,” said principal investigator Erik Richard, Ph.D. “We are proud to deliver the monitors that will extend this irreplaceable time-series with unprecedented accuracy for the global scientific community.”
